Q&A: Keeping an Institution’s Rules
Keeping an Institution’s Rules
Question
With God’s help,
Hello Rabbi,
I am a yeshiva student (fourth-year class), and there was a coronavirus outbreak in the yeshiva a month ago. Since then, the yeshiva has become very strict about procedures, and in addition asked us to send a text-message commitment to the yeshiva secretary stating that we would comply with all the coronavirus rules.
It is clear to me that, in principle, I have both a moral and a halakhic obligation to keep the rules, and Heaven forbid to treat the guidelines lightly. My question, however, is whether I have a halakhic obligation to obey one hundred percent.
As long as this was purely a moral matter, seemingly I could, in situations where there is not so much risk (after consulting with friends and the like), use my own judgment. But in the current situation, where the yeshiva asked us to send a text-message commitment, my question is whether this has absolute force like a business contract, leaving no room to exercise judgment, or not.
Especially in the current situation, where most of the guys in the yeshiva are convinced that the staff, because of post-trauma, are being unreasonably strict.
I would appreciate an answer as soon as possible,
Thank you very much.
Answer
Clearly, such a commitment is binding like any contract. You signed a contract, and that obligates you. True, one could discuss the halakhic validity of such a contract, especially since you are not really giving the other side anything in return. But at least under the law of the land, I assume this is a valid contract. Beyond that, the service the yeshiva provides you is conditional on keeping the contract, so beyond the obligation to uphold the contract, there is also theft of those services here if you did not keep your side of the agreement.
Discussion on Answer
Indeed.
Hello Rabbi, thank you very much for the answer.
Since a high percentage of the yeshiva students do not keep the rules one hundred percent, does it turn out that most of them are thieves?